Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Piece by Piece, Back Together	By : Sasunarufan13 Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male > Naruto/Sasuke Views: 8229 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto nor profit of it. Kishimoto owns it.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Author's note: Still within the month so I'm not too late! I had to finish it today and it turned out a lot longer than expected *coughs*
I hope it doesn't come across as rushed; apologies if it does :/
Thanks to the following reviewer: smint45
Warnings: Hm, a bit of angst and drama? The start of a panic attack at the beginning as well
I hope you'll like it!
5 Accepting Part 2
"Calm down, Naruto, it's all right," Mum said soothingly, gripping his wrists softly.
"All right? It's not all right, ma!" Naruto hissed, staring at her wide-eyed. Ice cold tendrils of panic started squeezing around his chest, making it harder for him to breathe. His breath grew shallow and he stumbled backwards.
He couldn't be falling for Sasuke, he couldn't! Sasuke was his best friend; there was no way he was crushing on him. That just couldn't be happening! There was no way he'd started liking the Alpha like that. He was just confusing his feelings for something else, because of the whole stupid ball thing and those stupid, screwed up dreams!
Sasuke was his best friend – that was all, nothing more.
He was only vaguely aware of soft hands guiding him through the store, mum saying something to a concerned clerk, before automatic doors closed behind them with a soft 'hiss' and then he was led to a small corridor in between two stores. There was nobody else here and the wall felt rough when he leant against it.
"It's okay, sweetheart," Mum murmured, brushing her fingers through his hair and shushing him when he shook his head furiously.
"No, it's not, I – we're just friends, nothing else! I can't like him like that!"
"Hey, hey, there's nothing wrong with liking your best friend," she said; her voice still low and soothing. "It's okay, I promise. It's perfectly fine if your feelings changed."
"No, ma, you don't understand. He's my best friend! I can't fall in love with my best friend!" His voice was gaining a higher pitch as he neared hysteria; his nails digging into his palms as he clenched his hands into tight fists. He knew he should stop freaking out, stop making such a fucking scene about this – god, they were in public, why was he acting like an idiot in public? What the hell was wrong with him? – but he couldn't stop.
He was freaking the fuck out right now and no matter what he did, no matter how much he tried to think of something else, all his thoughts kept revolving around one thing only, swirling around it like it was the centre of a whirlpool: Sasuke.
Warm hands framed his face and forced him to look straight into serious, violet eyes. "Listen to me, honey, there is absolutely nothing wrong with falling in love with your best friend," Mum said firmly, squishing his cheeks when he opened his mouth to protest. "No, it really isn't. Your dad and I were friends too before we became something more. And that's good! It's great to be friends first! Because that way you already know each other and there's no law that says your romantic partner can't be your best friend too."
"But I – I didn't mean … I didn't …" he stammered, unable to get through the rest of his sentence; the words getting jammed in his throat. He swallowed and took a shuddering breath, trying to ignore how much of a mess he must look right now.
"Nobody plans on falling in love, baby boy," she said softly and her thumbs started rubbing small circles across his cheekbones. "It just happens. There's no real reason to it. There's nothing to be ashamed of, do you hear me? If you've fallen for Sasuke-kun, that's perfectly all right. You've got nothing to be ashamed of, I promise."
Sniffling, he relaxed his hands and twisted his fingers into his mum's sweater instead; the zipper of her open coat brushing against the back of his hand. "I don't know what to do," he confessed miserably.
He wasn't sure whether he was even ready to come to terms yet with what he felt for Sasuke. Was it really more than friendship? Had he really fallen for the dark haired boy? When had that happened? In all these months, when had his feelings started to change?
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to," Mum reassured him. "If you want to tell him, you can tell him. If you're not sure yet and want to keep quiet about it, that's fine too. There are no rules for this."
Watery, blue eyes dropped down to the floor; his face became uncomfortably hot and he licked his lips. "I don't want to mess up our friendship."
If – if he really liked Sasuke like that, like in the romantic sense – there was no way he could confess. What if Sasuke would feel weird about it? What if they couldn't be friends anymore just because Naruto had to be stupid and get feelings for the Alpha? He couldn't let that happen! He loved having Sasuke as his best friend – he didn't want to lose him all because he had to go and screw up!
"You're not going to." Mum sounded incredibly confident, as if there was no way Sasuke could ever react badly to a possible love confession from his best friend.
"You don't know that, ma."
"I know you and I'd like to think that after all this time, I know Sasuke-kun a bit too," she said calmly. "Even if he doesn't return your feelings, he won't abandon you, Naruto. Have a bit more faith in that boy."
"I didn't mean …" He released a muffled sound of frustration and released mum's white sweater to rub harshly over his face.
"Look, you don't have to decide anything now," she said soothingly. "You can think about it or ignore it as long as you want."
"I don't think you're supposed to tell me to ignore this, ma," Naruto muttered, lowering his hands to gaze at her with a frown.
She shrugged carelessly. "I'd be a hypocrite if I told you something else." At his perplexed face, she uttered a small, embarrassed chuckle and reached back to scratch her neck. "Look, you're not the only one who freaked out at the prospect of liking your best friend, okay? You think I was completely zen when I realised what I really felt for your dad? Please, I threw a worse fit than you! Your grandma had to replace several things of her chinaware because I was freaking out so much I started throwing with it!"
"Is that why she kept those cupboards locked every time we went to visit her?" Naruto realised, startled laughter escaping him at the mental image of his mum losing her shit all because of dad.
She wrinkled her nose and sighed, resting her hands on her hips. "Yeah, that's why," she admitted begrudgingly. "She's never completely forgiving me for ruining some of her best set – even though I replaced those like a few years later!"
"Does dad know you threw plates all because of him?" he asked, still laughing; mum's story distracting him from his own little panicking frenzy.
She gave him a deadpan look. "Please, as if I would give him ammunition like that," she scoffed, sweeping her long, red hair over her shoulders. Narrowing her eyes, she added warningly, "And you keep your mouth shut too or you might discover that your present pile has been significantly reduced this year."
"Oh, ouch, ma, that's low," he said accusingly, though his mouth kept twitching into a big grin.
"Low, but effective," she quipped before her features softened again. "You feeling a bit better now?"
That sobered the boy up quickly. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered, rubbing over his nose before dropping it again. He didn't think he would start freaking out again any time soon, but that didn't mean everything was completely fine again either.
She nodded in understanding and linked their arms together. "No need to worry about it now. What do you say of finishing your shopping, hm? Even if nothing happens, that doesn't mean you can't look amazing at the ball."
"Isn't the store closed by now?" He frowned, trying to see if he could spot a clock nearby. He didn't know how long they'd been standing here, but considering the hours they'd already spent in the store, wasn't it closing time by now?
Shaking her head, she tugged him out of the corridor and started leading him back to the store. "No, well, not today at least. I told them we'd be back soon, that you just needed a fresh breathe of air before we'd be back to make our decision."
"And they just accepted that?"
"I know the owner of the shop," she replied flippantly. "She's the wife of one of Minato's colleagues and we've been out for coffee a couple of times."
"Right," he said bemused and figured there was no point in trying to figure out why exactly mum would be having coffee with the wife of one of dad's colleagues. Mum had always been a social butterfly, so really, it wasn't that weird for her to go for coffee with random people.
The bright lights of the shop caught her eyes and made them glisten as they stopped in front of the door. "Now let's pick out something that's sure to make some heads spin at that ball." She winked.
"Look, for what it's worth, I don't think you'll have to worry about Sasuke-kun's reaction," Mum said, when they were back in the car and driving home.
Rubbing the shiny paper of the shopping bag on his lap between his thumb and index finger, Naruto mumbled, "You don't know that."
"I've seen you two together, Naruto. Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about."
"Maybe," he agreed and looked out of the window, watching the headlights of some cars pass them by.
Clutching the bag with his purchase closer against his chest, he ignored the funny way his stomach flipped at the implication of mum's words.
Nothing to worry about, huh …
"Naruto, Sasuke-kun's waiting!" Mum called from downstairs.
"Yeah, I'll be right done!" he shouted back, fiddling with his collar. He was using the mirror in his parents' bedroom to make sure he didn't look like shit; that was the last thing he needed tonight, especially with how nervous he was already. He felt ready to throw up any second now with how much his stomach was flipping and turning.
Eugh, he really hoped he wouldn't start puking.
Tonight was the Winter Ball and Sasuke had arrived to pick him up. Classes were done for this semester and they'd have a short break of two weeks before lessons would start anew. Maybe with the new year, Naruto would also have …
He shook his head briskly and studied himself in the mirror, taking a deep breath. He was wearing the black jeans mum had insisted he should wear, coupled with brand new, very dark blue shoes. After several hours, he'd finally settled on a deep blue shirt which, according to mum, made his eyes pop out and complimented his tanned skin very well.
After a short bout of hesitation, he unbuttoned the first two buttons, pulling the stiff collar away from his neck. A hint of his collarbone was shown and he bit down on his lip, questioning silently, a bit despairingly, whether he was really going to go through with this.
He didn't have to; he could just keep it to himself for a while longer, but …
"Naruto?"
"Yeah, I'm coming!"
With one last look at his mirror image, he left the room and descended the staircase, seeking support on the bannister. Sasuke was waiting for him in the middle of the hallway, dressed impeccable and devastatingly handsome in a blood red shirt and black trousers; his coat momentarily resting over his arm. God, of course he would look so amazing; it was bloody unfair just how good the Alpha looked.
Black eyes gleamed when they landed on him. "You look really good," Sasuke told him when his feet touched the tiled floor.
Flushing a bit, he grinned, "You too. You're going to make people faint at this rate, bastard."
"Really? Maybe I'm not trying hard enough yet, seeing as you didn't faint," Sasuke smirked and ever the mature one, Naruto reacted by sticking out his tongue.
"All right, boys, I hope you'll have fun," Mum grinned, clapping her hands together. Dad appeared right behind her, smiling when he spotted the two boys. "Be back before midnight and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"Kushina, sweetheart, given your rep sheet that might not be a smart thing to say," Dad said amused and hissed, still smiling, when she pinched his arm.
"Fine, don't do anything your dad wouldn't do then," she huffed, crossing her arms. "That better?"
"Much better," Dad chuckled before growing a bit more serious when he addressed them, "Like your mum said, be back before midnight and don't drink. Neither one of you. I don't want to hear from a colleague that they had to arrest you for driving under influence."
"I can't drive yet," Naruto helpfully reminded him and Sasuke snorted softly.
"Still doesn't mean you're allowed to drink." Dad raised an eyebrow. "Consider it showing sympathising with Sasuke-kun."
"Fine, we'll be good, I promise," Naruto reassured him and after one more "Have fun, you two!" they left the house, entering the icy coldness outside.
Snow had arrived in the country a few days ago, coating everything it touched with a thin white sheet. Dad had offered to drive them, but Sasuke had assured him he was perfectly capable of driving in the snow and as the Alpha was deemed more responsible than Naruto, dad had acquiesced without any protest.
Naruto would be offended, but at the moment he was more preoccupied by how the evening might turn out – and with making certain he didn't slip on his way to the car. He hadn't got dressed up this nicely only to land smackdab in the snow. Fortunately the footway had been cleared and salted, so at least near his house he didn't run the risk of falling flat on his face or arse.
Sasuke's car was pleasantly warm and they spent the way to the school talking about their classes and whether or not Neji had killed Kiba already or not. The blond was grateful for these distractions, but as they neared the school, nervous butterflies started another rampage in his belly and he had to take several measured breaths to keep calm, ignoring the curious look Sasuke threw him once.
The parking was filled with cars dropping off students, parents calling out last warnings before departing again. Sasuke ended up parked near the back and they hurried towards the gym, eager to get inside and stave off the biting cold. They handed over their coats to a bored looking teacher and were practically swept away by the stream of other students pouring into the large room.
The heavy beat of the drums greeted them, vibrating through the floor, and Naruto watched people dance and jump enthusiastically to the music underneath the multicoloured lights. Alongside the walls long tables had been placed; bowls of punch and canned soda kept cold in boxes filled with ice filling up the tables. There were bowls with crisps as well and plates with thin sandwiches. A couple of teachers were stationed near the tables, keeping an eye out so that nobody would dare to spike the punch.
Glancing at Sasuke, Naruto had to grin when he saw the blank look on his face and some of his nerves abated. Really, why was he nervous? He was here together with Sasuke, his best friend; there was nothing to be nervous about. Hell, Sasuke might be more uncomfortable than him, given how much he disliked being near a large crowd.
"Wanna dance?"
The look of utter dismay on the Alpha's face was priceless.
Sasuke did end up dancing with him in the end. They had spent some time near the tables first, drinking some soda and talking with friends. Well, it was mainly Naruto talking to his friends while Sasuke occasionally hummed in reply, but seemed content to not interact with them. That wasn't a surprise to either one of them and the other guys weren't bothered by it.
To everyone's surprise Kiba had actually arrived at the ball in one piece, guiding a blushing Hinata around, who was dressed in a pale lavender dress of which the sleeves flared out around her wrists. It turned out that Kiba, ever the brave one, had picked up Hinata before Neji could arrive at her home and was now doing his best to avoid her cousin's wrath.
Naruto wished him sincere good luck with it; he was going to need it given the circumstances.
After a while somehow – Naruto still wasn't sure how he'd managed it – he'd needled Sasuke into joining the dancefloor and they hadn't left it since. Sometimes a girl would come closer, try to get between them or ask Sasuke to dance, but the dark haired boy rebuffed them each and every time, often not even glancing at them, but keeping his attention solely aimed at Naruto.
The Omega didn't think he was imagining those looks of pure venom when the girls stamped off, their pride hurt.
"You know, you don't have to keep dancing with me. You could dance with someone else," Naruto suggested, even if a large part of him balked at the thought. He liked dancing with Sasuke and the idea of a girl being this close to him left a bitter taste behind in his mouth.
"I'm not interested in them," Sasuke said dismissively; his hand resting idly on Naruto's waist as they moved in tune to the music. "Why, you want to dance with someone else?"
"Not at all!" The denial was quick to leave his mouth and he hoped that the heat in his cheeks would be attributed to the warmth in the room.
He'd done a lot of thinking after mum had driven them home from the mall. Why exactly had he been so intent on finding the perfect shirt if Sasuke was just his best friend? It shouldn't have mattered in that case, right? But it had and mum's remarks had forced him to contemplate what exactly he felt for the dark haired Alpha.
He felt drawn towards the other, had since the start – that was a fact he couldn't deny. There had been something about the dark haired boy which had attracted his attention from the very first moment he'd laid eyes on him. Something in those eyes had pulled him in, had fascinated him.
Sasuke had intrigued him from the start – and somewhere along the line his feelings had shifted, changed into something else. Naruto couldn't pinpoint exactly when that had happened. Did it really matter anyway? There was no escaping that now.
The past few days he'd tried to imagine how it would be like to have Sasuke as a – as a boyfriend instead of only a best friend. What it'd be like to hold his hand in a completely non platonic way, whether he'd like kissing him … He'd imagined it and –
Well, he couldn't say he was entirely opposed to the idea. The thought of kissing Sasuke had had heat pooling in his lower belly and his entire body buzzing with restless energy. It had left him flustered, his cheeks warm, but there had been no denying it: he wanted more.
The big question now was: was he brave enough to admit it openly? More importantly: did he have enough courage to confess to Sasuke?
"Naruto?"
Sasuke's curious voice drew him out of his thoughts and he shook his head. "Nothing, I was just thinking …"
At that moment the bright lights above them suddenly dimmed until everyone was cloaked with a soft purplish glow. The pop song which had been blaring just a few seconds ago died out and was replaced by a slower, gentler melody; a female voice crooning something softly.
Naruto's heart skipped a beat when he realised that the local DJ had set up the scene for a slow dance. Abruptly keenly aware of how close he was standing to Sasuke, he uttered a nervous chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Eh, guess this is a dance you might want to …" he trailed off as soon as his eyes locked onto black ones and he froze underneath the gaze.
There was something stirring in those depths, something indescribable, and Naruto's breath hitched when he felt warm hands still resting on his waist, right above his hips – when had Sasuke placed his other hand there? They gazed at each other as all around them couples started swaying to the slow beat; the frenzy of before having disappeared. When Naruto licked his lips absentmindedly, dark eyes darted towards his mouth for a brief moment before flicking back upwards, seeking out blue eyes.
That was – was that a good sign? Sasuke wasn't pulling away, despite the slow music, despite knowing full well what kind of dance was expected for this type of song. His hands remained on the Omega's waist, even when the blond took a hesitant step closer. He didn't move when Naruto nervously placed his hands on his shoulders, but just kept gazing at him with an intensity Naruto had never before witnessed.
"You've got nothing to worry about."
Mum's reassurance echoed in his mind and Naruto wondered whether she was right.
Wondered whether he was reading this thing between correctly, whether he should just be brave and risk it.
Sasuke still wasn't pulling away, even with their chests now pressed together, and that – that had to be a good sign, right? If Sasuke – if Sasuke didn't feel anything for him except friendship, he wouldn't keep standing here, no? He wouldn't allow Naruto to press up against him and he definitely wouldn't keep gazing at the blond with that particular look in his eyes, right?
Did – did Sasuke feel the same?
If Naruto kissed him now – would he kiss him back?
Well … Only one way to find out.
"Sasuke …" he murmured, his voice almost lost in the music. Taking a deep breath and gathering every shred of courage he had in him, bracing his hands on firm shoulders, he tilted his head slightly.
For one short moment, seconds that seemed to be minutes, they stood there suspended in time, energy crackling between them, seeing nothing but each other; faces dipped in soft purple and warm white. But Sasuke didn't move, remained standing there, and that was all the answer Naruto needed.
His body erupted with fire as soon as their mouths touched; his stomach doing several flips. Every last nerve ending in his lips seemed electrified, the kiss making them tingle, causing a pleasant shiver to run down his spine.
God, this kiss felt – it felt so incredibly …
A bucket of ice cold water seemed to crash down over him when he realised with a quickly growing sense of dread and horror that Sasuke wasn't kissing him back.
He didn't return the kiss, but stood there stiffly, unmoveable. Naruto might as well have been kissing a statue for the amount of response he got.
Feeling sick, he ripped himself away from the Alpha, stumbling a bit and nearly bumping into the couple behind them. Black eyes stared at him in shock, Sasuke looking paler than before even in the warm light.
"I'm – I'm sorry, I thought that you, I thought that we – I've got to go," Naruto stammered, feeling like he was going to throw up any second now.
He had fucked up. So very, very badly. What the hell had he been thinking? How could he have been so stupid? Of course Sasuke didn't like him like that! He just had to go and kiss him like a moron and now he'd ruined their friendship.
Tears threatened to spill over, burning the back of his eyes, as he turned around and ran. Out of the room, away from those shocked, dark eyes. He ignored the irritated shouts when he accidentally bumped into other people; paid no attention to the bewildered looks his escape from the room received.
He had enough presence of mind to snatch his coat from the rack and then he was stumbling outside; the cold like a slap in his face, stinging his hot cheeks. He marched away from the gym, passing a couple of people who were chattering and drinking from bottles which looked suspiciously a lot like they contained beer.
Through the gates, onto the street and then he stopped for a moment, realising that he'd arrived at the ball with Sasuke. Obviously he couldn't wait for Sasuke to return to his car and this late in the evening, there were no busses around here that he could take. Taking his mobile out of the pocket of his coat he stared at the dark screen for a few seconds before shaking his head and stuffing it back into the pocket. He knew he should call mum or dad, but …
He didn't want to explain just yet how badly he'd fucked up. He didn't want dad's awkward reassurance that everything would be all right or mum's cooing and worrying. They'd most likely know the moment they saw him when he arrived home, but for now he just couldn't deal with them yet.
Walking it was then.
After hastily pulling on his coat and stuffing his hands into his pockets, he set off at a brisk pace; his cheeks still uncomfortably warm even with the cold air slicing into his skin.
How could he have been so stupid? He'd just kissed Sasuke instead of actually making sure that the other boy returned his feelings. Fuck, what must Sasuke be thinking of him now? Would he think that Naruto was just like all those girls who'd tried to befriend him in the past just to get into his pants?
Sasuke had told him about them some time ago when Naruto had witnessed a girl from a lower year seemingly trying to befriend to the Alpha before being bluntly rejected. Naruto had been curious, wanting to know why Sasuke wouldn't give the girl a chance at least. She hadn't flirted, hadn't giggled obnoxiously like most girls were wont to do whenever Sasuke so much as glanced at them; she'd just been friendly yet had been rather brutally rejected.
It turned out that Sasuke had grown wary of girls approaching him to become friends as all the girls before had only done so in order to seduce him. He'd told Naruto that he'd got good at recognising when a girl was sincere about her intentions or not, adding flippantly that he wasn't interested in becoming friends with a girl either way.
During that conversation Naruto had felt awful for his best friend, had been angry at all the girls who'd tried to mislead the dark haired boy like that. Now he was afraid Sasuke would assume he was just like them, that he'd only become friends with him in order to get more.
That wasn't true! That wasn't true at all, but now he'd gone and messed up really badly. What the hell was he going to do now? Would Sasuke still want to be friends with him after this? Or would he be too uncomfortable, knowing that Naruto felt more for him than just strictly friendship?
What was he going to do if Sasuke no longer wanted to be friends with him?
That thought had his heart clenching in pain and he took a shuddering breath, biting down harshly on his lower lip to stop the tears from coming out.
"Naruto-kun?"
The unexpected voice had him whipping his head around and he stared dumbfounded at the car which had drawn to a stop next to him. Through the open window Kiba's sister, Hana, leant forwards, eyeing him curiously.
"Shouldn't you be at the ball?"
He shrugged, rubbing his nose. "No, had enough of it," he muttered, praying his eyes weren't red rimmed. He'd talked to Hana a couple of times before when he'd visited Kiba at his place, but it wasn't like he knew her that well. She was older than Kiba and already attending college. She must have just returned from her classes.
"So you're walking here alone?" she asked sceptically, frowning.
"My ride's – not really available anymore," he answered evasively, feeling uncomfortable underneath her sharp, assessing gaze.
Clucking her tongue, she gestured to the seat next to her. "Get in, I'll drive you home."
"What? No, you don't have to do that!" he protested startled. "It's out of your way anyway, I don't want you wasting gas."
"Let me worry about the gas, all right? It's not exactly the right temperature – or the right hour – to walk outside alone," she said impatiently. "Now get in here before I get out and drag you into my car."
Even though he didn't know her that well, he'd heard enough from Kiba about her to realise that she wasn't joking and that she would indeed drag him into the car if he didn't get in on his own volition.
"If you're sure," he muttered and stepped into the car when she opened the door. After giving her the address, he slumped into his seat, keeping his face averted to the window.
"The ball not going like you expected it to?" she asked neutrally after they'd passed a couple of streets in silence.
Bitterly he smiled. "No, not exactly. I made a really stupid mistake."
"Don't we all?" she sighed and he appreciated it that she didn't try to make him feel better. "Whatever it was, though – it'll get better. Eventually. Might not be for a while yet, but you won't feel like shit all the time." She side-eyed him, seemed to know the dark thoughts crossing through his mind and added, "Even if you feel like that won't ever happen. It will. Just – give it some time."
"Yeah, thanks." He nodded, hiding his mouth behind his hand. If he lost Sasuke's friendship because of his moronic move, he doubted he'd ever feel better about it, but all the same, he found a bit of comfort in her words.
The rest of the ride passed by in silence. He waved and thanked her when she stopped in front of his house and she smiled briefly, her teeth glinting in the dark, before shooing him off.
Mum appeared in the hallway when he closed the front door behind him. Surprised, she said, "Back so soon? Was the music that crappy?" Her teasing smile disappeared in a flash when Naruto looked up and she got a better look at his face. "Naruto, what happened?" She glanced over his shoulder, as if expecting someone else to follow. "Where's Sasuke-kun? Did he go home already?"
This time there was no holding back the tears and his shoulders started to shake as he tried valiantly to keep silent. Mum uttered a noise of alarm and immediately came over, wrapping her arms around him, pulling him closely against her. "Sweetheart, what happened?" she asked alarmed, brushing a hand over his hair.
Clutching his hands into the back of her sweater, hiding his face into her shoulder, soaking the material of her sweater with his tears, he choked out, "I fucked up, mum."
The start of the winter break went by without any sign of Sasuke. No call, no text, no visit.
Naruto felt like shit. He feared he'd fucked up beyond repair with Sasuke, all because he'd stupidly thought that kissing him would be a great idea. He figured he should try to at least call him, apologise for kissing him when he clearly hadn't wanted that, but …
He was scared. Afraid that Sasuke would refuse to pick up. Afraid that Sasuke would pick up and would tell him they could no longer be friends.
It was so fucking stupid, really. If Sasuke no longer wanted to be friends, it would be better if Naruto knew it soon, so that he wouldn't keep torturing himself with wondering just how badly he'd screwed up.
It was just … He couldn't do it. He couldn't call Sasuke and hear those words spoken in that voice. He couldn't stand the thought that he'd lost Sasuke's friendship because of his own idiotic feelings. He should have just kept them to himself, should have kept quiet about it and under no circumstances should he have ever kissed Sasuke.
God, he'd been such an idiot. What had he been thinking? That Sasuke would like him like that? That he was what the Alpha was interested in? Sasuke was incredibly handsome and smart, skilled in so many different fields – he and Naruto were on completely different levels.
So how could he have ever deluded himself into thinking Sasuke might feel the same?
"You're not an idiot, Naruto," Mum murmured, running her fingers soothingly through his hair.
It was Friday evening and she had entered his bedroom a while ago, trying to coax him into playing a videogame with her as a form of distraction.
It'd been a week since the ball and he hadn't heard anything of Sasuke at all. He hadn't dared to call either, even though he'd stared at his mobile enough times now that it was a surprise it hadn't disintegrated underneath the force of his stare.
He hadn't left the house except for going to Gaara's dojo once and being the coward that he was, he'd gone at a time he'd been relatively sure of that he wouldn't encounter Sasuke there. Gaara had instantly picked up that something had happened, but mercifully he hadn't said anything about it. Naruto could still feel those green eyes burning a hole into his skull whenever the red haired man thought he hadn't been looking, though. He probably could expect some sort of interrogation if he went back without Sasuke again.
He snorted harshly, curling up tighter on his bed. "I kissed him without even knowing for sure that's what he wanted, ma," he muttered, trying to ignore the desire to turn his head into his pillow and sniff. Sasuke's scent still clung to the pillow, but it was slowly fading away.
He and Sasuke had never spent more than a couple of nights apart since they'd started their routine of sleepovers – until now. Now it'd been more than a week since Sasuke had slept at his house and his scent was fading away to Naruto's quiet misery.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. You reacted to the signals you got; a lot of people would have gone for a kiss," she said and sighed. "I'm sorry, Naruto."
He shrugged half-heartedly. "Don't be sorry. I'm the one who started the mess."
She sighed again, but didn't reply. She and Naruto had gone back and forth about this the entire week already, her telling him time and time again that he shouldn't feel guilty about it and that things between him and Sasuke would be okay again soon.
He had inherited her brand of optimism, but at this moment, with complete radio silence on Sasuke's end, it was difficult to believe that everything would be fine between him and the Alpha.
Curling around him, she pressed a kiss on his cheek. "It'll be okay, you'll see."
He wished he could believe her.
On Saturday he puttered around the house, not really interested in doing anything. His parents had left to go to the store and would stop by dad's work afterwards. Tomorrow was Christmas and dad wanted to make sure that his schedule hadn't been changed and that he indeed had the day off.
Should he make a start on his homework? He had a couple of assignments that he really should get to; Ibiki would have his head if he didn't deliver the question sheet on time. Pulling a face, he made his way upstairs to his room, hoping he'd still had all his assignments in his bag and not strewn around somewhere.
They were not in his bag. Crap.
They weren't in plain sight on his desk either, so crossing his fingers, he started riffling through the drawers of his desk, pulling them open one by one and pushing other stuff out of the way. His fingers bumped against something firm and he stilled, staring down blankly at the object.
It was flat and wrapped in bright orange wrapping paper; he'd been exceptionally proud to find that colour even if it had made dad shake his head. The package contained a book about samurai; his Christmas gift for Sasuke. Holding it in his hands, he wondered what he should do with it. Would Sasuke still accept a gift from him even after what –
The doorbell rang, startling him into dropping the gift back into the drawer. Heart thumping quicker from surprise, he hurried downstairs. Did his parents forget their keys? That'd be odd, but it had happened before.
"Did you forget your - " He cut himself off abruptly when he realised just who was standing at the front door and he froze.
Sasuke stood in front of him, dressed in a long, black coat; the lower half of his face hidden behind a dark blue scarf. His cheeks were tinted red; his dark eyes shadowed by his hair. "Can I come in?" he asked, his voice low. His eyes roamed across Naruto's body and the blond felt suddenly self-conscious in his large sweater and worn out sweatpants.
"Erm, yeah, sure, come in," he said awkwardly and took a step aside, gesturing the other boy inside.
They didn't say anything while Sasuke removed his coat, scarf and shoes, replacing them with his house slippers. In unspoken agreement they made their way to the living room and then they stood there, silently studying each other. The atmosphere in the room was beyond awkward; it hadn't even been this bad when Naruto had just started to get to know the dark haired boy and had still been trying to discover just where the boundaries were between them.
More than ever now he wished he'd never kissed Sasuke. This tense air between them wasn't worth it.
They opened their mouths at the same time. "I'm sorry."
"I've been an idiot."
They gaped at each other before Naruto laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you – do you want to go first or so?"
"Yeah." Sasuke took a deep breath, looking so uncharacteristically nervous that it set the blond on edge. "At the ball when you kissed me - "
"I'm sorry about that," Naruto blurted out. "I thought you – no, it doesn't matter what I thought, I shouldn't have done that. I don't – I don't want to mess up our friendship, so I'm really sorry. Can't we just, I don't know, can't we forget about it?" He winced, crossing his arms and digging his nails into his skin.
"Will you let me finish?" Sasuke asked, a tad exasperated. When Naruto nodded abashed, miming zipping his lips shut, he sighed and glanced away, looking a tad uncomfortable. "I was an idiot," he stated bluntly.
That particular admission had Naruto blinking confused. "Erm …"
"When you kissed me … I should have kissed you back instead of just standing there," Sasuke continued chagrined and Naruto was completely stunned into silence, staring at the other boy.
"I've been …" Sasuke crossed his arms, gazing at the floor. "I'm not good with emotions," he eventually went on. "After – after my family died, I didn't want to feel anything anymore. I kept everyone at a distance; it's not like anyone was interesting enough for me anyway."
Naruto stood there, uncertain what to expect. Was this conversation going where he thought it was? Or was he just reading the signs wrong again?
"And then you came along and … everything changed." He laughed softly, shaking his head self-derisively. "It's cliché, but it's true. There's something about you that's just hard to ignore. I tried, but well, I clearly didn't succeed."
Naruto's mouth felt dry all of a sudden, as if it had turned into desert.
"I don't know when things changed for me, but … A while ago I realised that I … that I feel more for you and – I was an idiot at the ball. I don't know why I didn't do anything. I'm sorry it took me this long to show up; I was just … I hadn't expected you to feel the same and I just." He shook his head and this time he looked straight at Naruto, his voice ringing out clear as day in the room when he stated, "I like you. Romantically that is."
The words came out a bit halted, but not less sincere and Naruto's heart started beating quicker, his stomach doing that weird flip thing. Sasuke liked him back? He wasn't dreaming now? His best friend – a guy who could get anyone he wanted just with a snap of his fingers – felt the same?
"And I'd really like a do-over, if you don't mind."
"A do-over?" Naruto repeated, croaking out the words. Discreetly he pinched his arm and had to bite back a hiss at the sharp pain flaring up briefly. Well, he definitely wasn't dreaming.
"Yeah, I kind of messed up our first kiss, so what do you say about another first kiss? This time I promise I won't be an idiot and I'll kiss you back," Sasuke smiled, but his smile wavered and his entire demeanour screamed 'nervous' as if after everything he thought Naruto wouldn't want him anymore.
As if he was the one who should be afraid of rejection. Honestly.
Grinning, feeling lighter than air, he crossed the remaining distance and wrapped his arms around Sasuke's neck. "I think I can do a do-over, yeah," he said, but couldn't help but ask, "If you're really sure, that is. I don't want you to feel like you have to - "
"Naruto," Sasuke cut him off, slipping his own arms around the Omega's waist, "shut up." His lips were pressed against Naruto's before the younger boy could say anything in response and this was – this was –
Sasuke's lips moving softly, almost unsurely, against his, his warm breath caressing Naruto's skin, his hands resting like two hot brands on his lower back; Sasuke liking him back, kissing him back for real this time …
Yeah, this second first kiss was a lot better if you asked Naruto.
Infinitely better.
AN2: I hope I didn't screw up too badly with the last part of this chapter *frowns* Writing the last scene went more difficult than I expected … But well, hey, they're together at last? Only took them five long chapters LMAO (You have no idea how badly I wanted to cut off the chapter right before Sasuke showed up LOL)
Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
I hope to see you all back in the next chapter!
Cuddles
Melissa
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Piece by Piece, Back Together